Double-action flush valve lever



Nov. 23, 1948. B. R. CRAMPTON DOUBLE ACTION FLUSHVALVE LEVER I Filed Feb. 5, 1945 I nuenfor basi-gfimm Patented Nov. 23, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOUBLE-ACTION FLUSH VALVE LEVER Basil R. Crampton, Grand Rapids, Mich., as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to Crampton Manufacturing Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 5, 1945, Serial No. 576,350

This invention relates to flush valve levers to be mounted upon flushing tanks, and is more particularly concerned with novel and practical improvements in connection with double action flush tank levers. It is among the objects and purposes of the present invention to provide a double action flushing tank lever assembly which is simple and economical to make, sturdy and durable in operation and service, and in which the lever assembly in its entirety is readily mounted upon a flush tank, the assembled double action lever being produced and assembled in a permanent, normally non-separable joinder of the parts thereof and at the place of its manufacture and shipped to and applied to the tank and secured therewith at its place of use by the mere application of and tightening of a securing means which practically, at the present time, comprises a binding nut. A simple, practical and operative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a plan View, partly in section, of double acting lever of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof as it would appear from the inner side of a tank on which mounted.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with parts shown in section and with the lever operated in a different manner than disclosed in Fig. 2, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections substantially on the planes of lines 44 and 55 respectively of Fig. 1.

Like reference characters refer to like parts of the different figures of the drawing.

The conventional flushing tank, usually of porcelain material, is well known. In a wall thereof, near its upper edge, an opening is made of non-circular form and usually square in cross section. For passage through said opening a mounting fixture '2 provided at its outer end with a flange 3 and at its opposite end portion having an exteriorly threaded section 4 is used, the body of the fixture 2 between the flange and the threaded section thereof being shaped to correspond with the shape of the opening in the tank wall I through which it passes so that the fixture will be non-rotatable in said opening. Such fixture or spud, the name by which it is commonly known, is secured in clamped relation to the side wall l of the tank by means of a not 5 threaded onto the inwardly extending end portion 4 of the spud to bear against the inner side of the tank wall with a drawing of the flange 3 against the outer side of the wall.

At the inner end of the body of the fixture or 3 Claims.

. Z spud 2 an arm 6 is integrally cast or otherwise permanently secured which extends laterally, as shown, in substantial parallelism to the wall of tank when mounted thereon. At its free end the arm 5 is formed to provide a U-shaped section, having a vertical side I spaced from and parallel-; ing the free end portion of the arm G and connected therewith by means of the integral lower cross portion 8 (Fig. 4) providing a channel between the vparts 6 and! open at itsupper side.

The body 2 of the tank wall fixture or spud is hollow from its outer end to within a short distance of its inner end, which inner end has a web 9 extending across it in which a substantially vertical slot or opening in is made. Said slot is of the shape shown in Figs. 2 and 3, narrowest between its ends and diverging outwardly in both directions to'its ends as shown. Throughthe slot a bar I! of suitable material, rectangular in cross section, is inserted passing through the tank wall fixture or spud 2 and extending beyond its outer end. A distance beyond theinner end of the fixture 2 the bar H is bent substantially at right angles into a shortsection l2 which parallels the arm 6 and is spaced therefrom. Said section or arm 12 at its free end and at its lower edge is provided with an integral ledge 13 which extends toward the bar 5. The free end of the arm l2 terminates short of the inner end of the part I as shown.

A handle having a substantially dome-like housing portion l4 and an arm l5 extended therefrom,.within the dome M, has an integral substantially central positioned boss IS with an opening for receiving the outer end portion of the bar I I. Said boss and bar I! are permanently secured together in the assembly of the parts. When mounted upon a tank the arm l5 of the handle extendsdownwardly preferably in a substantially vertical direction. The lever assembly however would be operable if said. arm !5 extended upwardly. in a substantially vertical direction; or in any other direction radially from the dome M.

A lever arm 51, preferably of a rectangular cross section. is pivoted near one end by means of a pivot pin l 8 to and at the side of the arm I2 so as to pass through the channel between the parts 6 and I and lie above the ledge l3 and the bottom 8 of the channel described, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and indicated in Fig. 3, the inner end of the bar H, at its lower corner, being cut away at an upward inclination to the lower edge of said bar l1. Adjacent its free end the bar i! may be provided with a plurality of openings as shown with any one of whichthe lift who used 3 with a ball flush tank is associated to connect the lift wire to the lift arm H.

In the fabrication of the parts the tank wall fixture or spud 2 with the integral arm 6 in practice is die cast. The handle including the arm I5 and the dome portion l4 and boss l6 are similarly die cast. 'Theibar H is passed through the opening "at 10, the boss I6 placed over the outer end portion of the bar H and a permanent connection made. The manner of such permanent connection is not an essential feature'olf the invention and may be performed in the same manner as shown in my Patent No. 2,233,159.

For installation on a flushing .tank, it is necessary merely to pass the lift arm ll, the arm 6 and the inner threaded portion 4 of the spud 2 through the opening in the wall until flange 3 comes against the outer side of the wall. InFig. 1 in dashed lines there is indicated, in relative position to each other, such tank wall and the lever assembly'when the bend made in the bar ll between it and its arm [2 is passing through said wall opening. The binding nut 5 has a sufficiently largeinteriorly threaded opening through it that it may be passed along the lift arm I! and over the arm 6 and brought into position to thread upon the section 4 of the spud, Tightening the nut against the inner side of wall clamps the wall fixture or spud securely in place to hold it in nonrotative relation to the tank wall. It is evident that'the slot l permits a limited rocking movement of the bar I I about its longitudinal axis.

The lift arm I! will be lifted at its free end upon movement of the arm l of the handle in either direction from its normal position. When moved in-the direction shown in Fig. 2, arm l2 with the lift arm 11 in alinement therewith are lifted together by reason of the lower edge of the lift arm I 1 'bearingupon the ledge l3 outwardly of the axis of pivot 18. When the arm I5 is moved in the opposite direction, as in Fig. 3, arm l2 being turned counter-clockwise brings the lower edge of the lift arm ll against the inner upper corner of the part8 which serves as a fulcrum in the tilting of the lift arm upwardly at its outer free end. Accordingly the free end of the lift arm I! is elevated irrespectively of the direction of movement of the handle from its normal vertical central position. As previously indicated, the handle arm i5 does not necessarily have to have a normal vertical position. But whatever may be its relation to the vertical or horizontal, an operation of the handle in either direction from its normal neutral position will elevate the free end of the lift arm H with a resultant lifting of the ball valve in the fiushing tank to which the lever assembly of my invention is connected.

The construction described embodying in a very practical form the invention which I have made is simple, durable, practical, economical in cost and very easily and expeditiously mounted upon the flushing tank on which it is to be used.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to'be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

"I claim:

1."In a structure as described, a fixture adapted to extend through an opening in a flushing tank wall, and having means engageable therewith to secure the fixture in a fixed relation to a tank wall through whichit is passed, a bar passing through said'fixture and extending beyond it at both ends, a handle connected with the outer end portion of saidbar, stop means on the fixture engageablewithsaid bar for limiting it in rocking movement about its longitudinal axis, said Ibar beyond the inner end of the figure being provided with an integral laterally extending arm, said arm at its free end and at its lower edge having a horizontally extending ledge, a second arm connected integral to the fixture at its inner end and located substantially parallel to and extending beyond the free end of the first mentioned arm, said last mentioned arm having a part at its lower edge extending therefrom in a direction opposite the extension of said ledge, the upper sides of said ledge and said mentioned part normally lying in the same plane, and a lift arm pivotally connected to said first arm and resting upon the ledge thereof and upon said laterally extending part of the second 'arm, said lift arm and first mentioned and second arms having a combined thickness less than the dimension of said opening whereby said structure is mounted as a unit by insertion through and securing to the flushing tank wall.

2. In a structure'as described, a fixture adapted to extend through an opening in a flushing tank wall, and having means engageable therewith to secure the fixture in a fixed relation to a tank wall through which it is passed, a bar passing through said-fixture and extending beyond it at both ends, a handle connected with the outer end portion of said bar, stop means'on the fixture engageable with said bar for limiting it in rocking movement about its longitudinal axis, said bar beyond the inner end of the fixture Ibeing provided with a laterally extending arm, said arm at-its free end and at its lower edge having a hori- Zontally extending ledge, a second arm connected to the fixture at its inner end and located substantially parallel to and extending beyond the free end of the first mentioned arm, said last mentioned arm having a part at its lower edge extending therefrom in a direction opposite the extension of said ledge, the upper sides of said ledge and said mentioned part normally lying in the same plane, and a lift arm pivotally connected to said first arm and resting upon the ledge thereof and upon said laterally extending part of the second arm, the axisof the pivotal connection of said lift arm to the first mentioned arm being located between the ends of and above said ledge, and the end portion of the lift arm adjacent said pivot at its lower corner being removed to permit a limited upward pivotal-movement of the lift arm with respect to the arm on which it is pivotally mounted.

3. In a structure as described, a fixture adapted to extend through an opening in a flushing tank wall, and having means engageable therewith to secure the fixture in a fixed relation to a tank wall through which it is passed, a bar passing through said fixture and extending beyond it at both ends, a handle connected with the outer end portion of said bar, stop means on the fixture engageable with said bar for limiting it in rocking movement about its longitudinal axis, said bar beyond the inner end of the fixture being provided with a laterally extending arm, said arm at its free end and at its lower edge having a horizontally extending ledge, a second arm connected to the fixture at its inner end and located substantialy parallel to and extending beyond the free end of the first mentioned arm, said last mentioned arm having a part at its lower edge extending therefrom in a direction opposite the extension of said ledge, the upper sides of said ledge and said mentioned part normally lying in the same plane, and a lift arm pivotally connected to said first arm and resting upon the 5 6 ledge thereof and upon said laterally extending REFERENCES CITED part of the second arm, said second arm connected at the inner end of said fixture having said laterally extending part continued in an up- The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

ward direction in a part parallel to and spaced 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS from the free end portion of said mentioned arm N mb N D t to provide a U-shaped channel between the sides 1,066,863 Theelen July 8, 1913 of which said lift arm is located. 2,229,459 Koerner Jan. 21, 1941 BASIL R. CRAMPTON. 2, 48,126 Schafer July 8, 1941 

